While I wait for Bristol Street to come and get the poorly repaired car they sold me and return my money to me, the search goes on.

Being fussy, I have a list of requirements and another of potential compromises.

Must be a Mark 8 Ecoboost Fiesta Titanium.

Must be three door.

Must be under 24,000 miles

Must have  a pan roof.

Nice if it had a camera and sensors but that isn't a deal breaker.

Much prefer the 100HP engine, likewise 16" wheels.

Much prefer white or copper

Don't want to have to pull fuse 8 in order to disable the on board modem.

Don't want to spend more than 25% more than I paid for a car with half the mileage two years ago!

The three contenders each have their issues. The white one is too leggy, 38.000 and in an established small dealer.

The dark grey one is dark grey, 125HP, 17" wheels and 27,000 miles. It does have keyless, blis, ACC and advanced parking assist, some of which I like and a full 12 month warranty albeit at the top of the budget. It is the nearest one, as well.

The B and O has 16,000 miles, ticks every box except camera and sensors  but it is 200 miles away and not in the Ford dealer network (Which might not necessarily weigh against it, of course.) I just wonder why such cars fall out of the dealer network. Is there a three year cutoff?

Wish I wasn't so fussy. Looks like a trip to Norwich is on the cards

 

 

I'd say 38000 miles compared with 24000 these days is nothing to worry about.

The grey one sounds good. Don't worry about having 125BHP instead of 100BHP. Yes, it's grey but when you're driving it you don't see what colour it is (yes, I know that's not a great answer, but buying a 2nd hand car always involves compromises).   It has a better spec, so I'd probably go for that.

And you now know that you don't want to buy a car remotely.

Good luck either way....

I like and use power but this car is for my retirement. The insurance costs are higher, which is a consideration but more so the likelihood that the previous owner has also used the power. The lighter loads on the whole car enforced by the lower powered engine make it a better used bet. Seventeen inch wheels and expensive rubber band tyres are more vulnerable to potholes, put extra physical loads into the body shell and spoil the ride comfort. I would use the extra grip and grunt, to be sure but having given up sports aeroplanes and motorbikes, I really am making an effort to be a grown up!

If it’s for your retirement does the higher mileage matter?  We don’t know what mileage you expect to do or how long you want to keep it for. I went 150 miles to get my current fiesta and also 150 miles to get my previous fiesta. In order to get the colour / spec I wanted. I had the previous one 9 yrs, the current one 6 years so far.  It’s inconvenient travelling a long way to look at a car, but if it’s to get the colour/spec you prefer then I think it’s worth it if you are going to have it for many years.  Luckily both my 150 mile journeys resulted in a car on which I found absolutely nothing wrong at the time or later on (other than on the 2nd one I later found what looked like a cigarette burn on back seat whilst cleaning it). I then had to drive back home in my old car and then get the train to go to collect the car.   It’s a gamble - should I have got the train there in first place to save 300 mile round trip of driving. Depends how confident you are if it being perfect. 

Having in the past crossed seas to get the right one, I am much inclined to travel to get just what I want. I flew up to the Far North to buy a CX once and bought a classic in Paris at a few moments notice many years ago. These were rare cars, though. Fiestas are plentiful and the right one should be findable with patience. I expect to do a fair mileage, There is the home in France as well as here and a fair bit of toing and froing. Parents are 200 miles away and Dad hasn't slowed down enough in his mid eighties to avoid the works of the traitor Gatsonides so I visit them, these days as his insurance premium is now pointedly increased. Could well be between 8000 and 10,000 a year so ten thousand miles is another year off the engine. I had considered  buying a high miler and a new engine to keep for detonation day but of course, the rest of the car will have done the same mileage. That means dampers, engine mounts and bushes, balljoints and so on need constant attention and I don't mind changing an engine once but the underside is heavy, dirty and just work. I have the advantage of a lifetime's accumulation of suitable tools, being a tool junkie and I intend to maintain the car myself for as long as I am able. It is a hobby just as much as part of the household tool kit. I would prefer it not to become a chore.

On 12/25/2022 at 7:44 AM, anon said:

I like and use power but this car is for my retirement. The insurance costs are higher, which is a consideration but more so the likelihood that the previous owner has also used the power. The lighter loads on the whole car enforced by the lower powered engine make it a better used bet. Seventeen inch wheels and expensive rubber band tyres are more vulnerable to potholes, put extra physical loads into the body shell and spoil the ride comfort. I would use the extra grip and grunt, to be sure but having given up sports aeroplanes and motorbikes, I really am making an effort to be a grown up!

Hi.

If you need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line.

Regards,

Dan.

Drove 510 miles to look at a car today. At least I got to look at it before handing anything over. Not the one.

1 hour ago, anon said:

Drove 510 miles to look at a car today. 

At this rate, you'll need to look for a yet another car to replace the one you've worn out looking for this one!😀

It is getting to feel that way. The MGF is entertaining enough but it doesn't like crosswinds. It is also far from practical in most other respects. I might yet have to settle for something I don't really want and expect the perfect car to appear a week later for sale in the next street!

1 hour ago, anon said:

I might yet have to settle for something I don't really want and expect the perfect car to appear a week later for sale in the next street!

Yes, I know what you mean. There's a law about that I believe - Murphy's (or is it S*d's?).

I was glancing at Auto Trader the other day to see what cars like mine were going for. Then, out of interest, I looked for your spec, starting with a 3 door Titanium (pretty rare anyway) then adding items and watching the number of available cars dwindle until the pan roof sent it to zero! 

 

 

Yes, A look around shows just a B and O that has spent the last six months living 200metres from the North Sea which would otherwise have been a contender. The nice blue Titanium X that had been badly repaired or a pair of leggy white ones outside the Ford network. I would have preferred that my old one was repaired as it was pretty well ideal.

20 minutes ago, anon said:

spent the last six months living 200metres from the North Sea

I understand what you're saying, but personally, with the improvements in corrosion protection over the years, that wouldn't bother me.  I'd have more of a look underneath  the car when viewing it, but I wouldn't expect to see anything untoward.  And when you buy a car more than a couple of years old you never know where it has spent the whole of its life ....  until you switch the sat nav on and see the 'last destinations' or find that you've got Radio Glasgow set as pre-set 1. on the radio.

Not living but standing on a lot. Yes, corrosion protection is better than it was but both of my waxoyled from new Kas were killed by the rustbug inside ten years.

I wonder about the market. The dealers have jacked their prices post Christmas, as they do so that they can offer deals without it costing them but looking at the tax expiry on most used Fiestas shows they ran out several months ago which leads me to think that nothing is selling. In that case, as a friend in the trade once said, "bid 'em in the b****ks and then go for the knees."

19 minutes ago, anon said:

"bid 'em in the b****ks and then go for the knees."

.... whereas I'd bid low and then move upwards if necessary 😁

21 minutes ago, anon said:

leads me to think that nothing is selling

I haven't been looking, myself, but I suspect you're right.